At least eight people have been diagnosed with measles in an outbreak that started last month in the Philadelphia area. The most recent two cases were confirmed on Monday.
The outbreak began after a child who’d recently spent time in another country was admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) with an infection, which was subsequently identified as measles. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health considers the case to be “imported” but did not say from where.
The disease then spread to three other people at CHOP, two of whom were already hospitalized there for other reasons.
Two of those infected at the hospital were a parent and child. The child had not been vaccinated and the parent was offered medication usually given to unvaccinated people that can prevent infection after exposure to measles, but refused it, the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported.
Despite quarantine instructions, the child was sent to day care on Dec. 20 and 21, the health department said.
I don’t excuse the parent for refusing the medication for themselves, however since the kid was a patient at CHoP, it’s possible they have an illness that prevents them from getting the vaccine. I’m not excusing the parent, but there’s a case to be made for the kid.
If the parent refused medication for a disease that they were willing but unable to vaccinate the child against, that would be baffling. I can’t feasibly believe that this isn’t a belligerent, poorly informed parent being a reckless arsehole.
Fuck. If they were immunocompromised to begin with, the parents should also be arrested for endangering their child, after they’re charged with murder for any kids that died via their reckless actions.